Ceremony Marks Start of Kwanzaa

To mark the first day of Kwanzaa, an African American holiday, a candle-lighting ceremony was held at the Department of Water and Power building in the Crenshaw district of Southwest Los Angeles.

Leading the festivities was Maulana Karenga, chairman and associate professor of Black Studies at Cal State Long Beach, who created the idea of the holiday 30 years ago to promote African culture.

Seven Los Angeles girls were chosen to be the Kwanzaa Queens, each of whom represented a Kwanzaa principle. They were Anitonette Zemault, Cedelle Daniels, Teresita May, Marvina Jones, Taneesha May, Esther Daniels and Rossi Gardener.